The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-03-04

dt:u iuIIicu VI
MAI SHOWING ci'cA- the ashes Of It's great
COS DRAINAGE AND coniliaration as was
TIE lie w Ell N so freely prcIi.ted il
CANAL. would lie. And
think you will admit that it is ii pretty fair
city which our people have built On top oil
the mud and above the ashes "
"Yes" said my friend, who was gazing
intcntly at the water a few feet lHow tho
bridge, "but how is city like this drained,
Where do you get your watcrn
Very natural questions these were too For
reply to tho hitter query. / pointed To Lake
Michigan. no more than half IA mile away.
where tho masts of many vessels and the tors
OF two lighthouses were visible
"You get your water supply from the great
lake which lies at your feet, tilerei And p5.,
pour your Drainage into this river, and this
river oInpties into the same lake whence your
water supply comes! Queer taste ynI Chicago.
ans have Being a I'rol,il,itlouisi, / don't
think should like To live in Cill,qlgo.n
tiut imde my friend reserve his silcers un-
Lii lse lIati learned more Takiu. "A t,ic.e of
paper | threw il in the river bcu,4,tl, ant,
asked him To watch it, lie was prtxeutly
usi"'Indei 70 observe that the pae of paper
ikGatel slowly away from the lake
@WhatF he exclaimed, "does,,'t Cbicnyo
liver empty into Lake Michiganr
"Nd, indeed, and That simple fact EXPLAINS
good many things Did yon ever think
what Il unique engineering problem this iss
a city built n few feet above tile level
OF eurrentiess river and a tidelcss
lake 1nte the one the drainage must
he turned, and from the other tire water sup
ply tiken. But that piece of paper there,
slowly Iloating westward, is the kcy to the
sit;iatlon. IL happens, luckily for Chicago,
that the divide between the Lake Michigan
water shed, and that of the Gulf of Mexico, is
but fifteen miles from the lake. Through
that divide the Illinois canal was cut many
years ago to the Illinois river, which t,aveises
nearly the whole length Of the state, and
finally mingles with the waters OF the Missis-
sippi at historic Alton. This canal was Chi
cago's salvation. BY deepening its channel
she was able to change tho course Of nature.
and send the waters of Lake Michigan trick
ling through canal and rivers to the Gulf of
Mexico. In other words, audacious Chicago
has made tho Mississippi river her backdoor
gutter, and the great gulf her ccsspool. BY
sending her sewage TO the west and south she
keeps sweet and clean the waters of the great
lake at her feet, and thus insurcs the purity of
her water supply. So YOU see, my friend,
that Chicago has in her time solved several
interesting problems. She found way to
lit herself out of the mud, she rose from her
ashes, and she has made the great Father Of
Waters her servant. Chicago is no slouch:
that you're bound to admit
My friend was amazed He, like good
many other people, had heard something of
Chicago's drainage flowing into the Mississip-
pl river, but the case having never been
plainly and intelligibly stated to him, he had
paid little attention to it.
Really he said, II am much interested.
aBut is this canal big enough TO carry off .he
drainage of all Chicago and vicinitys"
"No, it is not, in its present condition. And
we now have commission of high priced
experts at work seeking the best means of EN-.
laTging the capacity OF tho drainage channe{
1t IS estimated that an expenditure of threeo or
millions OF money will do it, and in case tho
Hennepin canal is constructed it may be
utilized net only for floating ships from the
Guif OF Mexico to Like Michigan, but for
carrying Chicago's drainage i'm the other di-
rection. think that if the truth were
known it would bc found that Chicago's chief
m'xiety to have the government dig that
canal lies in its desire to solve the drainage
o-SSa~sAs A1tGfSt s4SS0 5bEI kskl4lASV may HS
bit selfish, as well as great. At any rate,
something must he done. Even now enor-
nous engines must be kept tconstantly at work
punsring water from Chicago river into the
canal 70 aid the sluggish current in carrying
sewage away from the river. Chicago is
very careful of her water supply.
But she Is not really fond of water, ID
silesn
.Foml of watcrs Indeed she IS. Why, sir,
no city more 50. Tho impression seems to be
general that Chicago only uses water to bathe
in and to put out fires with, but that Is amis-
tale- Chicago uses greater quantity cf
water in proportion to her population than
my other city IN the world How mnehs A
very biz lot. No less tan 100, ,A00. 900 gallons
8 day, or 35.ssal O00. 900 gallons in year.
Won ealaIsi appreciate the signifcance of
sslfh ossrgrONll lisnress Then let mo express
their meaning III another way Chicago's !.
water consumption i equal 50 40 gallons, OF